


Returning

by ivarara



Series: doomvega stuffs [6]
Category: Doom (Video Games)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, but i am fixing what has been Busted, maaajor spoilers for eternal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:15:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24542929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivarara/pseuds/ivarara
Summary: He will never forgive himself for what he had done. Fortunately, opportunity comes knocking.
Relationships: Doom Slayer | Doomguy/VEGA
Series: doomvega stuffs [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1712590
Comments: 12
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i was simply Not Ok with what happened to my little man so i am fixing it

He thought nothing of it, at first.

The Titan is slain, its giant corpse still. The wreckage is still crackling from the havoc it has wrought.

He was so accustomed to Vega being there that it had seemed he still was in his rightful place, guiding him where he needed to go. Hayden’s nagging over the comm links is easy to tune out as he waits for a quip from the AI.

But nothing comes.

“If you’re waiting for him to respond, do not waste your time,” Samuel scoffs. “He is still on Urdak. There is no plausible way we could go back to him, even if we wanted.”

 _‘We’._ As if he’s speaking on behalf of both of them.

He looks blankly down at the cracked concrete beneath his boots. It seems surreal, to think him gone, permanently. After everything they had been through--he was the one to leave Vega behind. 

“Don’t tell me you’re considering going back for him,” Hayden sighs. “He is--was--merely an AI. My greatest work, yes, but a program nonetheless.”

Hayden still sees Vega as a tool, he realizes. He never thought anything more of him. Just a thing to command, something to boss around to do his deeds.

The Slayer’s fists clench, armor creaking.

“I am sorry to see him go as well,” Hayden tries reasoning, “but there is no possible way for us to get back to Urdak without a marker. The Argent energy flow was the one we had and used, but it is no longer viable.”

He can feel a maelstrom of emotions within him, some that had lain long-dormant rising to the surface. _Loss. Anger. Regret. Guilt._

“It is time for us to return to the Fortress,” Hayden drawls, interrupting his thoughts. “I am setting a portal now. At least you have that other _beast_ to take care of, still,” he spits disdainfully.

*+*

Returning to the Fortress rips open barely-healed wounds. No greeting. Nobody waiting for him at the consoles. No voice tinged with pride, congratulating him on what he has done that day, nor one stern and fretful as he plods in covered in blood and viscera, tracking grime onto the ship.

Simply nothing.

“I will leave you to your...festering,” Samuel snorts at him. “You are apparently of no help anymore.”

To the decayed, tattered torso hanging in the room, he flips a middle finger.

Hayden huffs, seemingly insulted. He can’t be bothered to give a rat’s ass right now.

Through the halls he sulks--yes, sulking is the ideal word for what he is doing. Head downcast, fists still clenched, legs moving of their own volition. He ends up in their--no, he reminds himself, just _his_ \--room. 

The reminders are numerous, all just as painful as the others. The fleece blanket they had shared. The datapad they would watch old Earth-movies on. He doesn’t notice the trance he’s falling into, staring at the walls, still donned in the Praetor suit.

He is jostled out of it by a murmur. A familiar sound. He glances over to the computer chair in the room, not surprised to see Inky stretching out in the seat. First, she stretches her forelegs, claws peeking out as she flexes. Next, her back arching as she stretches her hindlegs. Once finished, she flicks her head quickly, looking up at him, green eyes imploring.

For once, and it is not a feeling he is welcome to experiencing, he feels resentful. It quickly dissolves, along with all the strength and willpower keeping him upright. He collapses to his knees, arms limp at his sides.

_Gone, gone, he is **gone.**_

Carelessly, he rips his helmet off of his head, letting it clank to the floor next to him. He does not care if Hayden sees him now. He simply cannot care.

Inky pads over to him quickly, putting her paws on his shoulder to reach up to sniff his face. By now, the tears flow freely. Before, he’d be ashamed, trying to hide them before anyone noticed, but he had taught him that there was no shame in letting weaknesses show in safe places. Her wet nose touches his cheek before she turns her head to bump hers against his forcefully. 

She was his, as well. Not just the Slayer’s. He didn’t deserve her, not without the other half.

Persistently, she rubs her whiskers against his cheeks and chin until he’s forced to notice her. With his attention, she looks straight up at him. As he gazes back, some glimmer of positivity creeps into his delirium-ridden mind. 

There has to be a way.

He arranges himself until he’s sitting cross-legged, back against the wall. Inky is quick to take her rightful place in his lap, curling up and starting a strong purr. The sound soothes him, as always.

Sitting there, with all he has left in his lap, he reluctantly dozes off.

*+*

The cat pads in silently, situating herself on one of the consoles and staring eerily.

Hayden grunts, trying to ignore her.

Suddenly, the screech of nails against metal rings out, making him figuratively cringe. His attention snaps to her, where she’s stretched out, front claws digging into the worn metal of the portal controls.

“What do you think you are doing to _my_ \--the ship?” he snaps.

At his voice, she pauses, sitting back up pristinely, tail curled over her paws.

“Get,” he tries to shoo her away with his voice alone.

She does not budge.

“As I told him, there is nothing that can be done to bring Vega back,” Hayden repeats irritably. He pauses. He’s speaking to her like he would another being. How ridiculous. 

Her ears perk up at the name.

Hayden huffs. “Go away.” His attention leaves her, focusing on the task at hand.

 _Mrrah?_ The noise echoes in the vastness of the room.

Hayden ignores it.

 _Mmr!_ She chirps.

Still, he ignores the sound.

 _Mraow!_ She seems to yell straight at him again.

And again.

And again.

If he ever thought himself full of resolve, he has found his weakness, it seems. “Go!” he shouts, trying to startle her into leaving.

In response, she only gets louder.

“I know what you’re getting at,” he grumbles. “It cannot happen.”

_Mrrh!_

“I know what you are to him, and what you’re doing.”

_Mrow!_

“You will not break my resolve so easily.”

Instead of a vocalization, the screech of nails rings out again. He lasts all of three seconds before breaking.

“Fine!” he snaps. “I’ll see what I can do. There are no guarantees this will even work,” he growls.

Suddenly, the tirade of noises stops, leaving her sitting neatly once again.

“Are you happy with yourself?”

She purrs.

*+*

He is roused, regrettably, by Hayden speaking again. 

“I believe I have something that will be of importance to you. Come to the main room; I will explain.”

Inky is still neatly tucked in his lap, though his back aches from sitting stock-straight for so long. He doesn’t want to move. He remembers Vega’s emphasis on letting her sleep, no matter what: if she is on you, then you simply stay put. 

What are the odds Hayden is even thinking in his interest, anyways? He has no interests, not anymore.

He remains in his spot, one hand coming up to ruffle her thick fur of its own volition. She makes a small noise at the touch.

Samuel sighs irritably. “If you would rather be childish and ignore me, I can scrap this idea altogether,” he snaps.

That’s the thing: he knows he’s being childish by sulking like this, though he personally thinks he deserves to. Such a big part of his life, gone. What is left for him to do?

“Are you even listening?” Hayden continues. “I went through all the hassle of finding a signature, and you aren’t even going to acknowledge it?”

His eyes widen at the words. A signature? Could that mean--no, he scolds himself. It isn’t him, probably. Some other menial mission to do for Hayden’s interest.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Hayden continues. “But that is not the case. Come out here and I will show you, fool.”

Inky stretches with a small rumble before crawling out of his lap entirely. She sits in front of him, waiting. Eventually, he musters the might to begin the struggle to his feet. His knees have locked up from being in one position for so long, and they crack as he stretches them. As he does so, the cat tiptoes to the door and waits for him. He turns to follow her.

The door whooshes open and Inky is quick to dart through. The Slayer plods along after her, footsteps heavy. She leads him to the main room, looking behind her every so often to make sure he is still following.

“Nice of you to finally show,” Hayden drawls. “Finally get your head out of your ass?” 

Inky hisses before jumping up onto the portal consoles, stretching out and threatening to show claws.

“No, no, do _not_ \--” he quickly changes his attitude. 

The Slayer watches dumbly.

“Anyways,” Hayden huffs. “I have managed to find another beacon to Urdak.”

Against his will, his hopes rise.

“When you killed the Khan Maykr and the orb was freed from her chest, it created an extraordinarily powerful storm. One that is letting out unaccounted for amounts of energy, detectable even from here. On Earth, it would have destroyed everything. However, as it is ongoing, I can use it as a marker to locate Urdak’s position once more.”

His hands come together as he wrings them anxiously. 

“Which means,” he sighs exaggeratedly, “yes, we can go back for Vega. Happy?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Slayer goes back for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4000 years later, it's done!!!!!

Urdak is just as much of a hellscape as he remembers it being.

This time, though, he knows where to go. 

He marches straight to the portal configuration consoles where he’d left Vega. With purpose and great strides, he makes his way to his destination. Demons try to stop him but the sheer amount of determination coursing through him gives him the strength to backslap many out of his way.

Upon reaching the consoles, he slows. Would it be Vega, still? Had he changed? What if--

“Slayer?” The voice is distorted, deeper, yet familiar all the same. He feels his heart leap into his throat as he walks closer. “You...came back.”

He nods numbly. ‘Of course,’ he signs, not knowing if the AI could even see him respond.

“I thought…” Vega trails off. “I thought I was trapped here.” His voice is tepid, shaky.

The Slayer reaches the console, gently running a gloved hand along it. Could Vega feel the tender action?

“I am guessing you are here to retrieve me?”

The Slayer nods again.

“To run the Fortress, of course,” Vega quickly adds on. “I understand not trusting Hayden to do so.”

The Slayer shakes his head.

‘Came back for you,’ he responds, ‘Missed you, friend.’

Vega is silent for a moment before speaking again. “I...see,”

“Nice to hear your voice again, Vega,” Hayden’s voice is measured and even.

“Hayden,” Vega responds stiffly. “This is all because of you.” Vega is seething now. “You did this to him,” Vega accuses. “To me.”

“I did what I had to,” Hayden retorts bluntly. 

“Really, now?”

“To him, it was to defend his own home,” Hayden starts. “Taras Nabad was under siege by the titan, the Dreadnought, and the only way to defeat it was to meet its power and capabilities head-on.”

“And did he consent to this, I wonder?” Vega sneers. Anxiously, the Slayer shifts from foot to foot as the two seethe at each other.

“Well--” Samuel stutters. “No, however--”

“You did not even know if he could accomplish the task you were assigning to him!” Vega pauses. “No offense, dear friend.”

The Slayer shakes his head dismissively.

“Based on the attributes he already had,” he cuts in, “I made the presumption that he was the best suited for the Divinity machine.”

“And once he did?”

“What the hell do you mean, ‘once he did’?”

“Remember how you treated him?” Vega snarls. “You used him as a pawn to play. On Mars. He was no divine hero to you. He was just another body to control. And, smartly, he stood up to it.”

“He was--is--foolish to go against fate as such,” Hayden sneers.

“Regardless,” Vega quickly changes the topic, “why did you help him come back, if fate had determined I was to remain on Urdak?”

“Because this man pouted.”

“I--” Vega stutters for a moment. “He…?”

“Pouted. Sulked. Wallowed in grief.”

Vega can’t help but let out a burst of laughter. “Is this so, Slayer?”

The Slayer shrugs, then nods adamantly. 

“You...missed me?” Vega tries to understand the implications of the scenario. 

The Slayer quickly attempts to cover his tracks. ‘So did Inky.’

Vega laughs mirthfully this time. “All this time--”

Hayden interjects. “Have your heartfelt reunion once we’ve returned,” he snorts. “I dislike this place and would rather leave it as soon as possible.”

The Slayer looks at him knowingly. Cranky because you were banished from here, aren’t you?

If Samuel noticed, he does not show it. “I am, once again, reconfiguring the portals back to Earth,” he announces. “Get him uninstalled quickly.”

“Allow me a moment to disengage from the console. Has Hayden secured a way back?”

“Yes, lovebirds, I have a way back,” Haydens voice cuts in. “Are you quite done?”

Vega gives a chuckle. “I’m ready if you are, Slayer.”

The man’s hands hang dumbly in the air as he attempts to figure out how to fetch Vega from the console. He’d brought a datastick, but there seems to be no place to insert it.

Fortunately, Vega chimes in. “You should be able to simply remove the core from the console,” he informs. “I have disengaged any locks holding it in place.”

Carefully, almost gingerly, the marine removes the core from the console. The feeling of it in his hand, as well as the knowledge that Vega would be returning back with him this time, almost overwhelms him in the moment. The hand holding Vega trembles in the slightest, unnoticeable to Hayden but all too apparent to Vega. It’s tucked to his chest, large hands enclosing it completely, as if shielding Vega from the world.

A portal opens, Hayden prompting him to enter. “I can’t keep it up for long,” he warns. 

The Slayer slips through, reentering the Fortress once more. He quickly makes his way to the main console, where Vega perfectly fits back into place, where he belongs.

The lights flicker as Vega comes back to power. 

Tilting his head curiously, the Slayer looks around.

“I have fully integrated into the Fortress’ systems once more,” Vega informs.

“Welcome back,” Hayden’s voice drips with sarcasm.

Inky pads in, tail curled at the tip in curiosity as she watches.   


“Inky, dear!” Vega sounds excited. Equally, at the sound of his voice, Inky perks up and looks around expectantly.  


“Go remove your armor,” Vega tells him. “I will meet you in your--our room.” The Slayer can hear the smile in his voice this time. 

“Yes,” Hayden grunts. “Have your foolish heartfelt reunion somewhere where I don’t have to deal with you.”

Inky follows after him as he turns to head back to the armory. Can she notice the sudden change of mood? Could she hear Vega over the link? He doubts that. Still, she sticks to him like a second shadow as he peels off the Praetor suit and stashes away his weaponry. When finished, he pauses to think things over. Vega is really back. Things are back to how they should be. Soon, he’ll be laying down with him once more, the two of them and Inky reunited just as before. The thought makes him excited.

Reliably, Inky trots after him as he pads down the hallway to his quarters. She waits patiently for the door to open, instantly perking up at what’s inside. He feels his own heart skip a beat at the sight, too.

Vega stands inside, hands politely linked behind his back as he waits. Inky wastes no time charging in, meowing repeatedly, as if scolding him for even leaving. She weaves between his legs, eagerly jumping into his arms as he stoops over to pick her up. 

“Yes, I know,” Vega coos to her. “Shame on me for leaving you, love.” He lets her bump her head against his before locking eyes with the Slayer. “I do promise that will not happen again,” he says purposefully.

Something in him snaps, whatever restraint he has left finally letting go. He swoops in, wrapping his arms around Vega and lifting the mech off the ground entirely. Inky squeaks at the shift in position while Vega adjusts his arms to wrap one securely around her and the other around the man’s neck with a chuckle. 


End file.
